Tips for back-to-school organization

Date Published: Sep 01 2011

Whether your kids went back to school in August or head to the classroom in September, good organization is crucial to their success. Here are some solutions that will help the young students in your family stay on track:

Book bags

Clean it out daily. Set up a system for distributing what comes out of their book bags: a stack for homework that must be completed, a clip on the refrigerator or a box on the desk for any information that needs to be kept close at hand. Sign all papers and return them right away to the bag.

Scan artwork into the computer. Not all artwork is worthy of the refrigerator or a framed spot on a wall, but some parents insist on keeping everything their children create. Rather than holding on to all those masterpieces, photograph them or scan them into your computer.

Homework and projects

Develop a bulletin board system. Buy a board big enough to be sectioned off for a space representing each of your children. Hang their papers "to be done later" with magnets. Leave notes that are relevant to the needs of each child.

Keep supplies on hand. Inevitably, pencils will be lost, and projects will have to be done. So when you do your back-to-school supply shopping, buy a little extra and stock up on poster board, markers and glue so you have them on hand when your child comes to you the night before the project is due.

Get two binders for children on block scheduling. Since many middle and high school students don’t need everything every day, it may be a good idea to get one binder for Schedule A and one for Schedule B. Keep a pencil bag with duplicate supplies in each.

Wardrobe

Sort and toss. This is a good time to go through your kids’ clothing. Hand down or donate items that are too small but in good shape. This will also give you a better idea of what you really need to buy.

Time

Keep a family planner. Face it, you are the keeper of the master schedule since you’re the driver, so put everyone’s activities in one place. You can use a large dry erase calendar, write down everyone's schedule for the month and place it where everyone can access it for planning.

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